In various electrical systems, for example in automotive applications, a central control unit is coupled to various sensors to receive inputs, and is coupled to one or more loads or other control units to provide control functions related to these loads or other control units. In various systems, the central control unit is operable to turn loads or other control units to an “ON” or “OFF” state by providing an ON/OFF signal to the load or other control unit. In an automotive application, the central control unit is often referred to as the Engine Control Module (ECM). In addition to providing control and management of functions related to the automotive engine system, the ECM is often coupled to other control units, such as a transmission control unit, an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) control unit, a body control module, a climate control module, an ignition module, and an anti-theft system for the automobile in which the ECM resides.
In various examples, the ECM is coupled to one of these other control units or modules through a conductor coupling an output stage (circuit) of the ECM to an input of the control unit or module. For various automotive applications, the ECM includes one or more output stages that are operable to provide ON/OFF control signals to loads or other control units that are separate from the ECM. By way of illustration, the ECM can include an output stage (circuit) that is connected to an input of a smart ignition module, wherein the ECM is operable to provide an ON/OFF control signal to the ignition module that controls an ON and OFF state for the smart ignition module.